marvelfandomcom-20200222-history
Asgard (Realm)
300px|thumb|Asgard General Description Drawn directly from Norse mythology, Asgard is the home of a full pantheon, including Thor. It is a small, otherdimensional planetoid (its surface area being about the same as the continental United States), whose nature and physics are different from those of planetary bodies in the Earthly dimension. Asgard is not a sphere like the Earth or Moon, but a relatively flat landmass suspended in space. Asgard does not rotate about its axis, nor does it revolve around a sun. Asgard does have intervals of night and day (of undisclosed durations), so some object or force functions as a sun. There is no evidence of changing seasons, however. Asgard's gravity apparently radiates from somewhere below it (assuming gravity works there as it does here): there is a "top" and a "bottom" to Asgard. At the edges of Asgard's landmass, a being or object can fall into a void, but some unknown force apparently keeps the edges themselves from eroding. The same force also prevents the bodies of water along Asgard's boundaries from pouring into the void and prevents Asgard's atmosphere from escaping. Asgard has been described as floating on a "Sea of Space." This sea apparently has a surface, one that is navigable by Asgardian ships, which resemble Viking longboats. The exact nature of space in the Asgardian dimension is unknown. While Asgard's gravity is roughly analogous to Earth's, common matter is considerably denser on average. For instance, a chair made of Asgardian wood is heavier and stronger than a chair made of Earthly wood. Rock, water, flesh, bone, steel: all matter is denser and thus more durable. The Asgardian dimension includes other areas. The inhabitants refer to the totality as the Nine Worlds. Four of them are located on the main landmass: Asgard, home of the gods; Vanaheim, home of their sister race, the Vanir; Nidavellir, home of the Dwarves; and Alfheim, home of the Light Elves. The others are in nearby (i.e. easily accesible) dimensions. (For the sake of creating a comprehensible diagram, the Nine Worlds of Asgard are placed in a multi-leveled configuration. These levels do not represent any real physical distances or relationships. Instead, they represent the interdimensional relationships between the realms.) Jotunheim, the land of the giants, is a flat ring-shaped realm with high mountains along its inner edge. Svartalfheim, home of the Dark Elves, is another planetoid, smaller than Asgard. There are several dimensional portals between the mountains of Jotunheim and Svartalfheim and the mountains of Asgard, permitting easy passage by denizens of each realm. These portals make Jotunheim and Svartalfheim seem like "underworlds" of the Asgardian continent itself. Another of the Nine Worlds is Hel, realm of the dead, and its sister realm, Nifflheim. In the Asgardian afterlife, heroes and the honored dead go to Valhalla, a special region of Asgard; the common dead go to Hel; and the dishonored dead (murderers and other evildoers) go to Nifflheim. The last world is Muspelheim, land of the fire demons. In Asgardian cosmology, Muspelheim and Nifflheim existed first, separated from one another by Ginnungagap, the Yawning Void. Asgard is honeycombed with portals to the other parts of the Nine Worlds, making the worlds (with the exception of Earth) sometimes seem like they are on a contiguous plain; indeed, early cartographers of Asgard mapped it this way. The only permanent portal to Earth, Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge, has recently been shattered, severing Asgard's connection with Earth and making passage between realms difficult. There is a special passageway from Asgard to the extradimensional realm of Olympus, home of the Greek gods. Since Olympus is not a part of the Asgardian cosmology, this portal is believed to be an artificial rather than natural phenomenon. Another unique feature of Asgard is the Cave of Time, an apparently natural phenomenon through which passage to other times is possible. Midgard, our Earth, does not appear to be physically affected by the motions of any of the other physical bodies in the Asgardian cosmology, although Earth's axis (the imaginary pole around which it rotates) is in alignment with one of the roots of Yggdrasil, the cosmic ash tree that stands in Asgard. Somewhere in Asgard's outlying Sea of Space there may be floating portals to Earth's space, because Earth beings have been able to travel from Earthly to Asgardian space. There may also be an edge to Asgard's Sea of Space, perhaps at the perimeter of the "Dome of the Sky" extending from the outer edge of ringed Jotunheim. At the edge of the Sea there would exist "Dimensional borderlands" which serve as transitional areas between discrete dimensions. Asgard and its sister realms are populated by six distinct humanoid races, described under Asgardians. Besides these, there are several singular creatures that exist in the Nine Worlds. The first is the Midgard Serpent, Jormungand, an immense snake or dragon whose body encircles the inner edge of the mountains of Jotunheim closest to Midgard. The Midgard Serpent lies at the very edge of the dimensional boundary between Jotunheim and Midgard and prevents passage between dimensions. The second is the winged dragon Nidhogg, who lives in Nifflheim and gnaws at one of the roots of Yggdrasil. The third is the giant wolf-god Fenris, who is responsible for the war-god Tyr's loss of a hand. Fenris is imprisoned in the distant land of Varinheim. The fourth creature is the primordial ice giant Ymir. First Appearance: Journey into Mystery (Vol. 1 #85) References * The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition (Volume 2, No. 1, August, 1985) ---- Category:Locations Category:Dimensions